Chickenpox in children: symptoms, treatment and possible complications

Chickenpox is one of the most common diagnoses in children's medical records. There are many reasons for this... Chickenpox is an infectious disease caused by the herpes virus type 100. The degree of contagiousness of this disease is close to XNUMX%, and outbreaks of the disease are especially common among children when they start attending kindergartens and schools.

Chickenpox is one of those diseases that you don't really need to protect yourself from, because it's better to get sick with it in early childhood, as the course of the disease becomes more complicated with age. The disease is so contagious that a rare baby manages to avoid it. Doctors say that if a child has been in contact with a carrier of chickenpox, infection is inevitable. Usually, the first signs of the disease appear on the 12th-14th day after contact.

The beginning of the disease: what does chickenpox look like

The causative agent of chickenpox is the herpes virus type 20, it is also the cause of another viral disease, called shingles. The pathogen is transmitted from person to person mainly by airborne droplets, the most risky places in terms of infection are children's groups: kindergartens, schools, sports and creative sections. The virus is so volatile that it can spread over a distance of up to XNUMX kilometers.

By the way, a child can get chickenpox by "catching" the virus from an adult suffering from shingles. With this disease, Varicella-zoster viruses (herpes type 3) are also released into the air.

Penetrating through the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, the virus enters the blood and lymph, where it actively multiplies and penetrates the epithelial cells of the skin and mucous membranes. The first sign of infection is a characteristic rash that appears on the child's face and stomach, and then spreads very quickly throughout the body.

Chickenpox: symptoms

Chickenpox in children begins with a sudden increase in temperature, without any other symptoms – there is no runny nose or cough. Literally a day later, a rash appears on the child’s body, which literally spreads all over the body before your eyes. Small red pimples appear, as if in dots or flashes, and new ones appear between the existing ones.

The temperature can last from 2 to 10 days, on average 3-5, then normalizes. Itching appears when the pimples turn into blisters, in their place crusts form. If the crusts are not touched, the rash gradually passes and recovery occurs without consequences. Since the causative agent of chickenpox is a virus, antibiotics against it are not effective, and may even be harmful, as a rule, chickenpox in children does not require special treatment, but sometimes complications may occur.

Source: ppgad@pucrs.br

Chickenpox is a highly contagious infectious herpesvirus disease transmitted by airborne droplets and contact. The incubation period is from 7 to 21 days. Symptoms of chickenpox in a child may appear from 10 to 21 days after contact with the patient. Prevention of chickenpox infection is vaccination (but this vaccination is not included in the list of mandatory ones) and isolation of the patient with chickenpox. If there are two or more children in the family, and one has already had chickenpox, the other children, as well as parents who do not have class G antibodies, can be vaccinated.

Chickenpox: incubation period

Herpes virus type 3, otherwise known as Varicella-zoster, enters the child’s body through the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract – the nose and mouth, and begins to multiply actively and very quickly. Penetrating into the child’s lymph and blood, the virus spreads throughout all organs and reaches the upper layer of the epithelium, which manifests itself in the form of a rash. From the moment of contact with a carrier of the herpes virus to the first signs of the disease, it can take from 7 to 21 days, usually in children it is 12-14 days.

Chickenpox rash in children

As mentioned earlier, chickenpox begins with a sudden, unexplained rise in temperature, the child complains of weakness and malaise. After some time, the first single pink pimples appear on the body of the sick baby, which quickly spread throughout the body and turn into fluid-filled blisters.

A rash in the form of blisters also appears on the mucous membranes. 1-2 days after the onset of the disease, the first pimples appear. After 2-3 days, the blisters begin to dry out, crusts form in their place, and all this is accompanied by severe itching. If the crust is combed, a lifelong scar will remain in its place. Usually, the appearance of new pimples stops from 5 to 7, in more severe cases up to 10 days. Then all that remains is to wait until the existing crusts heal.

Has your baby also developed a rash in their mouth? This happens when the disease is complicated. Close monitoring by a doctor of the child's condition is necessary in this case!

Pediatricians consider chickenpox a mild disease that can be treated at home, but it is not so simple. Quite rarely, however, there are situations when medical help is simply not possible. Every mother should know when to stop self-medication and ask for help from a doctor.

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Chickenpox is a "childhood" disease, because the herpes virus of the third type, which is the causative agent, when it enters the body for the first time, stimulates the production of antibodies to it, which persist for life. However, the virus does not die, but only loses activity and remains in a passive state in the cells of the nervous system, and although chickenpox is contracted only once, with reduced immunity and other favorable conditions for the virus, it may well become active and manifest itself in the form of a very unpleasant disease called "shingles".

When to see a doctor for chickenpox

As a rule, in childhood the disease is tolerated quite easily, does not require taking special medications and passes within 1-2 weeks without complications. Despite the fact that chickenpox is a mild disease, you should seek help in the situations listed below.

1. You should never self-diagnose. Even if you are sure it is chickenpox, call a doctor to confirm your suspicions and advise you on the right course of action.
2. If a few days after the rash begins, the child has difficulty breathing and a cough. This may indicate a rare complication called chickenpox pneumonia.
3. Signs of brain inflammation (encephalitis) appear - photophobia, nausea, vomiting, headache. All these manifestations are not directly related to chickenpox, but the virus can behave unpredictably.
4. A possible sign of a bacterial infection is a fever lasting more than 2-3 days after the first rash. This is a reason to take your child to the doctor, who may need to give them antibiotics.
5. A rash appears on the child's eyeball.
6. If two weeks have passed since the rash started and new pimples continue to appear.
7. Infection of chickenpox sores, which manifests itself in inflammation and ulceration. In this case, it is necessary to show the child to a dermatologist.
8. Medical attention may be needed if a child over 12 years old gets chickenpox; the disease can be quite severe, sometimes even requiring hospitalization.
9. Specialist observation is essential if a pregnant woman contracts chickenpox, especially if the infection occurred early in pregnancy or shortly before delivery. In this case, intrauterine infection of the baby is possible.

Source: instagram@shaketheshelf_kids

It is important to remember that the incubation period for chickenpox can last up to 20 days, but most often it is 12-14 days. Already during this period, approximately 2-3 days before the first rash, you can get chickenpox, and 6-8 days after the appearance of the last pimple, the child is no longer contagious. When in contact with a person who has shingles, you can get chickenpox if the body does not yet have immunity against it.

The symptoms of chickenpox are so typical that it is difficult to confuse it with another infection, however, even if you are sure that your child has chickenpox, a consultation with a doctor is necessary, at least to confirm the diagnosis. After all, an experienced pediatrician encounters chickenpox in children so often that he can recognize the disease by the appearance and location of the rash alone.

What to do if your child has chickenpox

Despite the fact that the symptoms of chickenpox are quite typical, it is worth contacting an experienced doctor to confirm the diagnosis. In children under 12 years of age, the disease is quite mild and does not require hospitalization. And considering that there is no treatment for chickenpox as such, it is necessary to create conditions for the child's body to successfully fight the virus and alleviate the condition.

Optimal conditions for recovery are a room temperature of 19-21 degrees, humidity of 65-75%. Daily wet cleaning and airing the room helps reduce the number of viruses in the air and help lower the child's temperature.

Give your child enough fluids to avoid dehydration and to allow them to sweat when the temperature drops.

Source: instagram@shaketheshelf_kids

What medications treat chickenpox?

If a child under 12 years old gets chickenpox, the disease does not require any special treatment and is usually mild and goes away on its own within 9-10 days. If the patient has a difficult time with the elevated temperature, it is recommended to bring it down with antipyretics that are acceptable for the child, usually based on ibuprofen or paracetamol.

It is absolutely unacceptable to give aspirin to a child with chickenpox, as it can provoke a dangerous condition - Reye's syndrome. Chickenpox is considered a mild childhood infection, problems can arise if an adult gets sick, and the risk of infection in pregnant women who are not immune to chickenpox should be taken especially seriously.

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The rash, which appears as red spots, turns into fluid-filled blisters after 1-2 days, which, drying out, form crusts. It is at this stage that the child is bothered by severe itching. It is impossible to allow the crusts to be combed, since, firstly, this can provoke suppuration, and secondly, a lifelong scar will remain in place of the crust. To relieve itching, brilliant green and fucorcin are ineffective, antihistamines, which should be recommended by a doctor, minimal contact with clothing, cool air, a warm bath can alleviate the condition.

Source: instagram@shaketheshelf_kids

In civilized countries, chickenpox rashes are not treated with anything, but if you really want to support the folk tradition, you can mark the pimples with brilliant green. This will help you not to miss the very day when new spots will no longer appear, which means recovery begins. If the temperature does not decrease, you can give antipyretics based on paracetamol or ibuprofen.

Recovering. When the child is no longer contagious

After 7-8 days of illness, new pimples no longer appear on the child's body, the old ones gradually dry up and fall off without a trace (if they are not combed), the temperature normalizes. At this stage, the child is no longer contagious, it remains only to wait for the full recovery of well-being and appetite.

Immunity to chickenpox lasts a lifetime and the child cannot get sick again. However, the inactive herpes virus remains in the cells of the nervous system for life, and in case of a decrease in immunity it can become active and manifest itself in the form of shingles.

As a rule, communication with children after suffering chickenpox is allowed as early as 9-10 days from the onset of the illness, but quarantine in childcare facilities is maintained until 21 days from the moment of notification of the disease.

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The effectiveness of vaccination has been proven for 3-5 days after contact with the patient. But it is necessary to take into account the fact that chickenpox, transferred in childhood, up to 10-12 years, in the absence of immunodeficiency states in the child, proceeds quite easily, and provides protection against the chickenpox virus in the future. Approximately 3% of the population transfers chickenpox again, which may be associated with reduced immunity, and it is more often observed in adults.

The healing power of water

During chickenpox, a child can not only be bathed, but also needs to be bathed. But there are a few important rules to follow.

• Bathing partially relieves the itching, so the child enjoys splashing in the water. But do not let him stay in the bath for more than 10 minutes.
• To enhance the healing effect of the procedure, add a decoction of chamomile or calendula to the water.
• Do not use detergents when bathing: soap, gels or bath foams. They irritate the skin.
• Do not try to clean the baby's body of crusts with a washcloth: anything that is ready to fall off will fall off on its own. Forcible cleaning can harm the baby.
• After bathing, do not wipe the child with a towel, blot the water or let the child dry (if the room temperature allows).
• After the bath, as soon as the skin is dry, apply brilliant green to the pimples.

Can you get chickenpox multiple times?

Once the chickenpox virus is recognized, the body develops a stable lifelong immunity to it, which means that in 99% of cases the child cannot get chickenpox again. However, it is important to understand that even after the chickenpox has been cured, the herpes virus remains in the body for life. It is located in the cells of the human nervous system, and in case of a weakened immune system or a repeated encounter with the chickenpox virus, it manifests itself in the form of shingles. Thus, a child who has not yet had chickenpox can become infected from an adult who has shingles.